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Christmas Snowflakes

Christmas Snowflakes published on 10 Comments on Christmas Snowflakes

Happy Friday!!  I hope your week has been wonderful!  As we finish up November and enter December, I thought it would be nice to post a card that we made yesterday in my Christmas Wow Class.

I will start by saying that this is one of those cards that has more “wow” in person.  Some cards are just like that, I guess.  I was inspired by the amazing and talented Sandi McIver and this card she made last December.  I changed the color to Very Vanilla and sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink.  What is hard to see is that the snowflakes have sparkle on them.  Lots of sparkle!  After cutting them out from the Snow Flurry Die, they were spritzed with Shimmer Paint Spray created from rubbing alcohol (about 1.5 oz. of 70% store brand rubbing alcohol) and shimmer paint.  You combine these in a spray bottle and just spritz it on the snowflakes (best to use a paper towel under them).  They shimmer and shine in the light but, apparently, not for the camera.  I did get a close-up, though, that is  a little better (click on the photo):

The sentiment comes from More Merry Messages, a gorgeous and must-have word set for the holidays!  I embossed with the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder first and then cut the panel in 7/8″ strips (it started as 3-1/2″ wide).  Basic Pearls are the perfect finishing touch for those pretty little snowflakes.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as my stampers did!  Thanks so much for dropping by!  Have a great weekend!

Stamp:  More Merry Messages; Paper:  Very Vanilla; Ink:  Crumb Cake: Accessories:  Big Shot, Lacy Brocade EF, Snow Flurry Die, Sponge Daubers, 1-3/8″ Square Punch, Dimensionals

A visit from Lisa

A visit from Lisa published on No Comments on A visit from Lisa

I am so happy to have a guest today on my blog!!  I had the great joy of meeting her when I went to Convention over the summer and she is my second upline at Stampin’ Up!  Her name is Lisa Curcio and wow am I lucky to be in her downline!!  My immediate upline Brandi had always spoken so kindly of Lisa (and Brandi is just amazing too) so I knew she had to be special.  Even still, imagine my surprise when at our very first time meeting she came bearing the most amazing handmade gifts!!  Stampin’ Up has blessed me in so many ways and with so many friendships…what a joy to work with such an amazing company.

Given that the last few weeks have been so light with postings, I thought it would be fun for you to get to know Lisa too.  I am always so excited when I find a new blog to follow and I suspect you are just like me about that!  Lisa has just started a blog named after her, Lisa Curcio.  She made an awesome project and agreed to let me post a picture here so that you all can see it.  Yes, you can go ahead and say it out loud (I did).  WOW!  This card box with coordinating cards is gorgeous isn’t it??

Here is what Lisa has to say about it:

“Christmas…66 days away!  Have you given any thought to your Christmas cards? Have you considered what gifts you would like to give for those on your shopping list?  Would you like to give a unique, one-of-a-kind gift?   Check out this EASY project! Its sure to cover all those questions on your holiday “to do” list!”

I know…you want all the details on how to make this don’t you??!!  It is easy to get.  Hop right over to her blog and she has all the details and a tutorial.  While you are there, stop and take a look around because her blog is loaded with ideas.  Yes, she is much more consistent at posting than I am so get a good cup of coffee or tea, you might be there awhile!!

Well, I survived the 4th Grade field trip yesterday and we have a big school fundraiser today (with lots of parents needed, of course) so my stamping hasn’t been given quite the time I had hoped for.  You can expect to see more from me next week though since I have a fun card to share that was chosen by Stampin’ Up to be in the demonstrator magazine, Stampin’ Success!

Hope your weekend is fantastic!  Don’t forget to tell Lisa hi when you stop in and tell her I sent you!  *smile*

Freshly Made Sketches #57

Freshly Made Sketches #57 published on 9 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #57

What a fantastic sketch we have for you over at Freshly Made Sketches this week!!  This one is courtesy of our guest designer LeAnne Pugliese of WeeInklings.  She says that it is one of her “go-to” sketches and I can certainly see why!!  Dress it up, dress it down, change the shape of the focal point…any way you use this one, it is going to be great!  Just take a look at the design team’s work and you will see what I mean.

I knew that I wanted to use my new Joyous Celebrations stamp for the focal image but the rest of my ideas were a little fuzzy.  Off I went to my file of designer papers and I came back with an oldie but goody…Jolly Holiday DSP.  I love the traditional feel to the colors and I thought they were a nice fit for the stamps.  I stamped the oval and the JOY and then punched them out with my Wide Oval Punch.  I stamped the little holly leaves and fussy cut them to attach, then colored some Basic Pearls with a Sharpie marker to make them little berries.  I love how the oval stamp mimics the  Designer Frames Embossing Folder oval so I popped out an oval with my Ovals Die (ret) and embossed it.  The sentiment went up on Dimensionals and I had my focal element.  Then I simply chose two patterns that I liked and added a bow made with Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding.  This one used the “potato masher” technique shown here.  This is one of my very favorite ways to make a perfect bow every time!!

I am so glad that LeAnne shared this sketch with us and I know we will have another fabulous gallery this week!  If you need inspiration, just go take a look.  It goes without saying that the DT’s cards will wow you!

I will be back on Friday with a fun guest blogger so make sure you plan on dropping back by.  She has a project to share with you that you are sure to love!!

I hope you have a great rest of your week!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you Friday!

Stamp:  Joyous Celebration; Paper:  Jolly Holiday DSP (ret), Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive; Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Die (ret), Designer Frames EF, Basic Pearls, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #56

Freshly Made Sketches #56 published on 17 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #56

Happy Wednesday!!  So happy to see you!  I am so excited to share with you this wonderful sketch from the amazing Rita Wright.  Rita loves layers and this sketch gives so many options for how to layer that focal panel.  You will see that the design team has such pretty interpretations and I know you will love playing along this week.

I started this card with one thing in mind…the bow!  One of our guest designers this month, the amazing LeAnne Pugliese, created this awesome tutorial on shabby bows.  I LOVE these bows and have never quite figured out how to make one.  Now I know!!  I thought that the Daydream Medallions stamps would be an appropriate style to go with bow.  I love Crumb Cake with Razzleberry (let’s face it, I love Crumb Cake with about anything) and I think the colors set just the right tone for the shabby bow.  Yes, it really is all about the bow!  I added a little detail to the crossing panel with my Adorning Accents Embossing Folder and the sentiment comes from the beautiful Affection Collection set.

I apologize for being mostly absent over the past couple of weeks.  I have a check ride (flying test) coming up this weekend.  Every 9 months, airline pilots are required to do one of these to prove our worthiness and maintain certification.  It is a really big deal and lots of studying is always a good idea.  Once that is done, I’ll be able to turn on my crafting brain again and hopefully get some more creating done.  I am planning on a fun surprise in the next week with a visit from a guest blogger that you are sure to love!

Until then, I know you will be amazed by the design team and our two guest designers this week!  Hop on over to Freshly Made Sketches and take a look!  Have a great day!!

Stamps:  Daydream Medallions, Affection Collection; Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Big Shot, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Brights Buttons, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #55

Freshly Made Sketches #55 published on 15 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #55

We have a wonderful new sketch for you this week and it comes from the super talented Jen Mitchell!  I love her clean style and this sketch gives so many avenues for interpretation!  Look no further than the design team’s examples for the variety possible!  So many pretty cards!  We also welcome Narelle Farrugia and LeAnne Pugliese as guest designers for the month of October.

I thought that it would be fun to use the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP for a non-Halloween card and I love how this pattern is so great for lots of projects.  I had my Day of Gratitude out on the table from yesterday’s project and wanted to use the leaves from it.  What pretty leaves they are!!  I inked them up in More Mustard and Cherry Cobbler and cut them out.  Then I tucked them behind a Basic Gray button and added a sentiment.  As I was putting the card together I realized that it seemed a little blah.  Out came the Big Shot and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder to add that something extra!  I love the masculine feel to these colors!

Make sure you hop on over to the Freshly Made Sketches site to see all the inspiration both from the design team and then from the gallery as the week goes on.  So many talented designers every week!!

Back to studying today for a big flying checkride (test) that will happen next week.  I’ll be back next week with a fun surprise visit from an amazing stamper!  Until then, have a great week!

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Basic Gray, More Mustard, Cherry Cobbler; Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Neutrals Buttons, Black Thread

Freshly Made Sketches #54

Freshly Made Sketches #54 published on 9 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #54

It is another fabulous Wednesday and I get to share a new Freshly Made Sketches Challenge with you.  This week’s sketch is courtesy of…me!  I know this is kind of a classic sketch but I love how it leaves room for lots of interpretation.  Just take a look at the design team to see what I mean.  All those wonderful cards from one sketch!  Love it!!

Leave it to me to design a sketch and then change it!  That is what happens when you design the sketch well before you make the card!  Hmmm….  In any case, I am so happy with this card.  We made this one at my Holiday Catalog Class last week and we all had a good time with it!  The star of the show are Stampin’ Up’s Glimmer Papers, both Silver and Champagne.  The Snow Flurry Die creates this amazing snowflake and is just perfect for the sketch.  I tried a number of colored backgrounds before I settled on this tone-on-tone Very Vanilla.  I always love this look and was so happy that it works well here.  The sentiment is from More Merry Messages and was sponged with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint then stamped (I used a Sponge Dauber).  It keeps the sentiment subtle but adds another element of sparkle!  Because apparently all that shine wasn’t enough, I finished the snowflake with a Vintage Faceted Button and a Basic Rhinestone.  The button picks up the shimmer from the snowflake and is so awesome!

I can’t wait to see what everyone makes with the sketch this week!  Make sure you hop on over to the challenge site to see all the inspiration!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you again soon!

Stamp:  More Merry Messages; Paper:  Very Vanilla, Silver Glimmer Paper, Champagne Glimmer Paper; Accessories:  Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Sponge Daubers, Big Shot, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Vintage Faceted Buttons, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Triple Time Snowflakes

Triple Time Snowflakes published on 4 Comments on Triple Time Snowflakes

I am so excited to be a Monday Guest over at the Pink Paper Bakery!  This is a group of Stampin’ Up demonstrators who work together on this fun blog!  So much inspiration and talent!  They asked me to share a card with them and I think I have just the right one.

I have been seeing the Triple Time technique everywhere and finally gave in to trying it after seeing a card by the amazing Ann Schach.  She changed up the layout a bit from some others and I loved the effect!!  I knew that the snowflakes from Snowflake Soiree would be fantastic for this technique and got right to work.  Another super talented stamper, Dawn Olchefske, has a tutorial on the technique that I viewed before giving this a go.  The key to the technique is the illusion that you have stamped multiple times and and magically lined them up perfectly.  While I do love my Stamp-a-ma-jig, even I would not have the patience to line everything up for multiples of this card!!  LOL!  So I started with a base of Very Vanilla (3-7/8″ x 5-1/8″).  I cut two rectangles of Very Vanilla to 1-7/8″ x 2-1/8″ and another one rectangle to 2-3/8″ x 3-3/8″.  As per the tutorial, attach them to the base using a repositionable glue since you will need to pull them back up and attach their “frames”.

Once you have these in place, stamp your images.  You will need to apply a little extra pressure to the stamping to minimize the gap that will happen where the layers meet.  Now I like to use 1/8″ borders (and did here) but a wider border is a bit more forgiving in the “magic” of this technique.  You may need to play with it a bit to find what works best for you.  After I stamped, I embossed the image using the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder.  I found that this helps in the reassembly part since you can use the embossing pattern as an additional guide.

You can see the gaps I was talking about in this picture.  Now, you carefully (take your time) pull the layers apart and then attach the back border panels (frames) to the layers.  I used Early Espresso for this with the panels as follows:  4″ x 5-1/4″, two panels 2″ x 2-1/4″, 2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″.  I’m guessing this makes the measurements above make a bit more sense.  *smile*  The base of the card is Cherry Cobbler.

I folded a small piece of the Early Espresso 3-1/2″ Tulle Ribbon in thirds and tied on a Brushed Bronze Button with some Linen Thread.  The middle panel is raised up on Dimensionals.  Finally, I added the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes (I inked only part of the stamp with a Stampin’ Write Marker) that was punched with the Jewelry Tag Punch and attached with Mini Glue Dots.

I hope you like this card as much as I do!  I made this with my Holiday Catalog Class last weekend.  We all agreed that the technique takes a little patience but is well worth it!

My thanks to the Pink Paper Bakery for letting me be a guest!  I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest SUO Challenge.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Snowflake Soiree, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler; Ink:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Big Shot, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Early Espresso 3-1/2″ Tulle Ribbon, Brushed Bronze Button, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Freshly Made Sketches #51

Freshly Made Sketches #51 published on 18 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #51

After yesterday’s shabby chic box, today’s project will look seasonal in another way!  This week’s sketch at Freshly Made Sketches comes from Cindy Hall and she has brought us a fabulous one!  So many ways to use that little panel on the side, so many shapes that fit perfectly here!  Cindy’s card is absolutely gorgeous and the rest of the team has some awesome projects too.

Ok, I finally did it!  After all the adorable projects I have been seeing with Googly Ghouls, I could resist no longer.  I love them!  I love the little mummy and the spider (which is crazy because in general, spiders are NOT a favorite) and the Frankenstein guy!  I see so many cute things to be made with these….so I got the whole  Ghoulish Googlies Bundle.  Guess what, it isn’t just for treat bags!!  I used one of the little tags here as my shape and I am so excited about this card.  I don’t even normally make Halloween cards but I will this year!  I used the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and it fits perfectly just below the mummy.  The mummy is cut out and popped up on a Dimensional and I added the Pumpkin Pie/White Baker’s Twine from the kit to a button to finish it off.  The Googlies googly eye is part of the kit but can also be gotten separately.  How adorable is it on this guy??!!  The DSP is from my Brights Designer Series Paper Pack but the new Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP is on the way…could not resist that either!

Now you will notice that this is sketch #51.  You know what…next week is #52 and we will be celebrating the one year anniversary of Freshly Made Sketches!  You will not want to miss it.  Plan some stamping time now!!

*Blog Candy*

Speaking of celebrating, I just realized that I am about to go over 100,000 hits on my blog (at least based on that counter on the side).  To celebrate, I just have to give away something cool!  How about a Googly Ghouls clear mount stamp set??!!  Seems appropriate.  All you have to do is comment on this post, yesterday’s SUO Challenges post or tomorrow’s Fab Friday post to be entered.  I’ll select one winner from all the comments (sometime after 6p Eastern Time on Sunday, Sep. 9th).  Feel free to comment on all of them for more chances.  Sorry but SU rules don’t allow me to ship outside of the U.S.  Thanks for all the support you give to me via this blog!  How lucky I am to be in such a fabulous community of stampers!

So glad you could drop in today.  I’ll be back tomorrow with a card for the brand new Fab Friday Challenge (and also for The Paper Players).  Hope to see you then!

Stamps:  Googly Ghouls, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Brights DSP Pack, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Basic Black; Ink:  Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker; Accessories:  Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit, Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Edge Border Punch

SUOC53 – Boxes and Bags

SUOC53 – Boxes and Bags published on 8 Comments on SUOC53 – Boxes and Bags

SUO Challenges has such a fun theme this week – Boxes and Bags.  With all the variations of these out there, I’m certain we will see all kinds of fun things!!  Look no further than the design team and you will know what I mean.  There are some awesomely fantastic examples posted!

When I saw the theme, the first things that came to mind was the Kraft Gift Boxes.  I love these things…love them!  They are easy to decorate, hold all kinds of cool things and the price is unbeatable!  I have seen lots of cute decorations for these so I wanted to take a different direction.  Sort of shabby chic.  I’m sure you know by now that this isn’t my normal stamping style but I love it and always admire those who do it well.  I wanted to go with the latest trend I’ve been seeing and use some burlap and combine it with different textures.  The burlap is a quick fabric store find and combines so perfectly with our Stampin’ Up products.

I cut out a piece that was 2″ x 13″ and started seeing how it could form a belly band around the Kraft Box.  After a bit, I figured out that I love the contrast of the new 3-1/2″ Scalloped Tulle Ribbon against the roughness of the burlap.  But how to attach it??!!  Here comes the funny part (you’ll have to pardon the length of the post).  At the beginning of the summer, my mom (who is a quilter) brought me a sewing machine…a really nice one that had been hers.  Way back when I was pregnant with my oldest, I had taken sewing lessons and learned some of the basics.  This is about the time frame where I discovered stamping too.  Well, I haven’t really sewn anything since then and my mom gave me some reminders and machine specific instructions while she was visiting.  Then I put the machine away and continued with the summer craziness.  Well, I realized that sewing was the best way to attach the tulle to the burlap and mostly had the machine set up right…mostly.  Had to call mom to figure out the last details, of course!  She reminds me that with flying airplanes, I should be able to handle a Bernina.  Uh huh.  I practiced on a few scraps and then committed to sewing the pieces together.  As my two boys and one of their friends “supervised” I did it!  I chose a zigzag pattern just to make sure more ribbon got attached and it worked pretty well.  I’ll even show you how it looked if you promise not to laugh too hard at the stitch variations (user error) but they are functional.

I knew I was planning on an additional layer on top of the stitching so the variations are ok.  You can see that I just bunched the ribbon in the middle to make the scallops the right width.  Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombo), I attached this layer to some Naturals Ivory Card Stock that had been distressed and sponged with Early Espresso.  I stamped the box with the flourish from Creative Elements in Early Espresso and then spritzed it with water to distress the ink a bit.

Finally I attached some Very Vanilla Seam Binding to the top of the Tulle Ribbon with Sticky Strip and tied on a bow made out of Seam Binding.  The butterfly is made using the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die and I cut the large full butterfly out of the burlap and out of some Naturals Ivory card stock.  Then I cut two of the smaller butterflies out of the Tulle Ribbon for layering.  The layers were attached using Crystal Effects.  Finally I added a rosette made from the Seam Binding and topped it off with a Basic Pearl.  The whole butterfly is attached to the belly band using Crystal Effects.

As usual with 3-D items, I had a hard time getting a picture that shows how pretty it is in person.  I didn’t put a tag or any sentiment on it yet since I haven’t figured out who it is for.  I think I will make a coordinating set of 3″ x 3″ note cards to put inside.

Thanks for sticking through the post.  The sewing thing really is pretty funny and the kids’ surprise that it actually worked cracked me up!  I know my mom will get a good chuckle when she reads this!  That said…it could be dangerous.  You may see more sewing (albeit on paper) in the future!!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  Hope to see you then!  Thanks for stopping in today!

Stamps:  Creative Elements; Paper:  Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Early Espresso; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Early Espresso 3-1/3″ Scalloped Tulle, Basic Pearls,  Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Crystal Effects, Sticky Strip, Burlap Fabric (fabric store), Kraft Gift Box

Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Blog Hop

Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Blog Hop published on 24 Comments on Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Catalog Blog Hop!!  We are celebrating the amazing Holiday Catalog and I know you will be so inspired by everyone’s projects.  I am first so I’ll try to start you off with a sparkly holiday celebration.  If you started somewhere in the middle, you came over from Tanya’s Tinkerin’ In Ink and I know you were wowed by her creativity with Wonderfall!  That bag, the candles and, of course, the card…amazing!  My set for today is Snowflake Soiree.  It was the very first set I wanted from the Holiday Catalog and I think it is beautiful!  I hope you love my projects (and you can click on any of them to see them larger).

I thought it would be fun to make a gift set so I created a card, the altered paint can and some tags.  I have to say that the beautiful sparkle off this set just cannot be completely photographed.

 

This card is embossed using Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and then brayered using Midnight Muse.  Shimmery White Paper provides a subtle bit of extra shine in the background.  Rhinestones top off the snowflakes perfectly, don’t you think?

This little paint can was altered using Silver Shimmer Paper, Midnight Muse and Whisper White.  I came upon a happy coincidence while making the little tag and found that the snowflakes from the new Snow Flurry Die coordinate with the stamp.  I love how Stampin’ Up does this!!

Finally I created some fun and quick tags to put in the little paint can (along with some holiday treats).  These are so quick and easy!  They are also created using Shimmery White Paper for a bit of extra shine and a Basic Rhinestone finishes it off.

I’ll be back over the next week with details on each project.  For now, make sure you move on over to Sharon’s blog, Created by You, to see her projects made with Joyous Celebrations.  You’ll be so impressed with the different looks all from one set!  Enjoy the hop!!

 

 

 

 

 

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